Holder for divisional propellent charges



N v- 7, 1939- E. J. M CORMICK HOLDER FOR DIVISIONAL PROPELLENT CHARGES Filed March 2, 1958.

Inventor Edward d M:Eurmir:k

Att DTTTE Patented Nov. 7, 1939 warren stares HOLDER FOR DIVISIONAL PROPEILILENT CHARGES Edward J. McCormick, Spencer, N. C.

Application March 2, 1938, Serial No. 193,536

4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

5 This invention relates to a holder for divisional propellent charges and similarly arranged units.

In a round of ammunition for trench mortars it is customary to issue the round with a maximum propellent charge and then to remove a to portion of the charge as occasion requires.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a simple form of propellent charge holder which will maintain the charge in its proper place to insure ignition and which may be readily moved when it is desired to remove a portion of the charge.

A further object is to so form the holder that it will not become detached from the projectile and remain in the mortar and that it will ofier a 50 minimum of resistance to flight of the projectile.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this speci- 55 fication.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rear end of a projectile equipped with the iml proved charge holder;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the holder;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the holder;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the propellent charge;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a holder that is larger 5 than the propellent charge;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified holder.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown a portion of a projectile of the muzzle loading type adapted to be fired from O a trench mortar. The projectile includes a body 5 formed with a tapered tail 6 ending in a reduced stem 7. A tube 8 threaded on the stem is provided on its rear portion with a plurality of vanes or fins 9 which serve the usual purpose of 5 stabilizing the projectile while in flight.

A cartridge H] of the shot-gun type is carried in the rear part of the tube and includes a primer i I which is fired when it strikes a pin at the bottom of the mortar. The tube 8 is provided with a 0 plurality of staggered vents 2 for conducting the flame from the cartridge to a propellent charge i3 which is disposed on the outer side of the tube and forwardly of the fins 9.

The propellent charge I 3 consists of a plurality 5 of thin flexible sheets I30. each having a circular opening H! for receiving the tube 8. Each sheet is also provided with a slit I 5 extending from the opening i to the edge and enabling the sheet to be readily applied to and removed from the tube. In accordance with the zone system of firing em- 5 ployed with mortars a variable quantity of propellent charge is employed under various circumstances. The round of ammunition is assembled with the maximum charge and a predetermined number of sheets is removed as occasion requires.

The sheets constituting the charge are maintained against the fins or a corresponding abutment and also in line with the vents I2 by means of a holder it which frictionally and resiliently grips the tube and which may be manually moved away from the charge to facilitate removal of certain of the sheets and then restored to a holding position.

The holder IE shown in Figs. 1 to 3 comprises a ring made of wire and having the shape of a five pointed star. The radially extending and angularly related arms Mia are adapted to engage the front sheet I3a of the propellent charge while the bases I62) of the arms resiliently engage the tube 8.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the arms I? are of suflicient length so that at least some of them project beyond the edge of the propellent charge I 8 to afford portions which may be readily grasped by an operator.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the arms l9 and bases 20 have been made round.

I claim:

1. In a projectile of the type having a tubular member for carrying a propellent charge, a holder comprising a resilient wire member formed to provide a plurality of radially extending angularly related arms engageable with the charge and adapted to slidably receive said tubular member with sufiicient friction to hold said charge in position relative to the tubular member.

2. In a projectile of the type provided with a tubular member having an abutment upon which a propellent charge of a plurality of removable flexible powder units are adapted to rest, a holder comprising a star-shaped resilient wire member engageable with the propellent charge remote from the abutment and adapted to slidably receive said tubular member with sufiicient friction to hold said charge in engagement with said abutment.

3. In a projectile oft-he type having a tubular member provided to receive a propellent charge in surrounding relation, a holder adapted to retain the propellent charge in engagement with an abutment on the tubular member comprising a resilient member engageable with the end of said propellent charge remote from the abutment and having a plurality of inwardly extending projections terminating on the circumference of a circle slightly less in diameter than the diameter of said tubular member; whereby the holder is adapted to slidingly receive the outside of the tubular member with suflicient friction to hold propellent charges of different relative lengths axially of the tubular member in engagement with said abutment.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said resilient member is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending projections adapted to protrude beyond the lateral edges of said propellent charge.

EDWARD J. MCCORMICK. 

